“I look at it like this: What would I tell my son? I’m a dad. I speak from that perspective. Maybe [the players] don’t always want to hear it that way, but it’s the best way I can communicate. That has already taken place and we’ve already talked about it.”

Carroll knows that Sherman is a fiery competitor. He knows that his attitude can elevate his play. But Carroll also knows that emotions run high right after time expires in a game, and he knows that Sherman was still feeding off of his competitive energy.

“You’re talking about a guy in a warrior’s mentality in the middle of everything,” Carroll said. “He’s a fiery guy. That was Richard being Richard in a moment where you would like to pull him to the side and take a knee for a while, then we’ll talk to you.

“It’s unfortunate that it was so crazed, but that’s who he is. His mental make-up to get ready for that matchup was expressed right there so he could play the way he can play. Unfortunately, sharing with the world, it didn’t come across so well.”

Carroll said that he discussed how he would prefer Sherman and the rest of his teammates to handle the situation in the future.

“We try to stick to Rule No. 1, which is always protect the team,” Carroll said. “It’s the rule we live by. You always represent us. In a time like that one, it was a little bit representing yourself.

“How we handle it is we try to grow and learn and work our way through who we are and figure out who we want to be. This was an extraordinary learning opportunity. You’ll see some benefit from it.”

Although Carroll spoke to Sherman, he made it clear that he wasn’t admonishing him for the post-game interview.

“When you really love somebody and care for them, you do everything you can help them be everything they can be,” Carroll said. “At times they are going to make mistakes and break your heart, but if you love them you stay with them. You give [them] the best chance to be all they can be.

“Richard is a wonderful spirit. He’s got an amazing heart and he has great sensitivity. He goes all the way to the end of the spectrum when it comes to expressing himself.”

If the situation played out exactly as Carroll describes, he handled it well. That’s what you would expect the head coach to say publicly. Being a fiery competitor himself, Carroll knows that too much enthusiasm can be perceived as a negative. Furthermore, even though Carroll said he addressed other options in the future, chances are he won’t really mind if Sherman has another display of emotion like that in two weeks.

That would mean that the Seahawks won another close game and clinched the franchise’s first Super Bowl.